Our Churches Need Walls and Gates
Anytime you use a new idea twice in a single week, you know it's worth thinking about...
Across two consecutive weekends, I did a Secret Shopper in NY and then Greg and I both did a Base Camp in Seattle.
The two churches (and cities) were radically different.
But at both, I ended up describing the tension between a strong church culture and healthy assimilation with the same metaphor.
It was a lightbulb moment for both teams, so I figured it'd be worth sharing.
Both churches have a very strong, unique, and definable church culture. It's clear pretty soon after you walk in the doors.
Here’s the thing: a strong church culture is a double-edged sword.
On the one hand...
...that strong culture is what makes a church compelling. It creates something tangible, exciting, palpable, and desirable. If a church doesn't have a strong culture... there's nothing to "want." There’s no gravitational pull toward the inside.
On the other hand...
...that same strong culture can create an insider-outsider divide. Guests can feel like they're invading something special. They don't know the lingo, the customs, or if they're really welcome to crash the party.
So here's part 1 of the metaphor: your church is a city, and its culture forms the walls.
We're thinking biblically here... so that's why the city has walls :)
Walls are good! They define the effective range of the culture, clearly dictate what's in and out, and protect from drift.
The stronger, more clearly defined, and poignant the culture is — the thicker, wider, and taller the walls are.
The Church was created to be a counter-culture, so walls aren’t a bug. They’re a feature.
But our churches need more than walls: we need gates, too.
And not just any kind of gates -- always-open gates.
The gates are the clear pathways into the city, the inside of that church culture. And I’m guessing each gate should probably have smiling greeters waving people in.
The stronger and more palpable the church culture is, the BIGGER and more OBVIOUS the gates have to be -- so people know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you want them to be a part of what's going on inside.
Strong Walls. Open Gates.
That's the full picture of a church that's all about fully connecting people.
By the way, is this sounding familiar at all?
It was to me... and that's when I realized I was describing New Jerusalem from Revelation 🤷🏻♂️
Revelation 21
11 It has the glory of God and a radiance like a very rare jewel, like jasper, clear as crystal.
12 It has a great, high wall with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates are inscribed the names that are the names of the twelve tribes of the Israelites…
25 Its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.
Now to be very clear... this is not an exegetical take on Revelation 21 🤣 I realized the likeness AFTER I talked about the metaphor.
But I thought it was pretty cool.
And it got even cooler when I mentioned it to Greg. Here’s what he had to say…
“A cool insight about Rev 21-22 is that the city has 12 gates—and 12 is the number of community in the Bible (12 tribes, patriarchs, apostles, baskets left over, etc). It’s a belonging number.”
It’s all about belonging.
As Sherpas, it’s our job to communicate a sense of belonging at every turn — the website, the parking lot, the lobby, the worship, the announcements, the message, your One Place, and beyond.
And it’s our job as YOUR Sherpas to help you intentionally build effective, welcoming gates that point in all directions.
Is it time for you to take building (or rebuilding) your 4-P Assimilation System seriously with the CTA Video Course? (especially before fall launch hits)
Do you need one-on-one help with one of our results-driven coaching packages? (to get unstuck or just speed you up)
What about a full audit of the walls and gates that you are (or maybe aren’t) presenting to your guests every Sunday with a Secret Sunday Guest Review?
Or are you ready for total staff-wide alignment — the fastest move you can make toward strong walls and open gates? Then Base Camp is for you.
Whatever you do next, the charge is the same for all of us:
Build strong walls and open many gates.
When we do both, the Church thrives and the lost are found.
TO CHEW ON WHILE WE CLIMB
Are our “walls” strong? Does our church have a desirable and compelling culture that is put on display for guests to see?
Are our “gates” always open? What specifically is the invitation we make to guests that invites them to and through the gate?
Where might our guests be running into walls without gates? How can we “install” new gates to meet them where they’re at?
